Chapter 161: The Magic Beast Settles Down
According to my knowledge, Magic Beasts are known to be monsters that are usually depicted in novels and other media types with fantasy tropes. However, they are not just some sort of fantasy, they are real and currently wandering all around the world. Though it takes luck to find one. Now that I met one, I met trouble involving this one.
It settled into my Familiar Space. A special area where I can allow my familiars to hide or stay temporarily. This place appeared after I gained a familiar and it is not uncommon for it to appear. Now, what happens if an unrelated beast that cannot be your familiar entered the Familiar Space and settled in without getting into your contract? Honestly, I have no idea but according to Inari-sama, it will go awry and things will go chaotic in case the beast goes out of control.
The teleportation circle flickered before I slowly emerge from it after teleporting from the Underground Mall of Shibuya. Resting would be my main priority but due to these circumstances, I am forced to find some solution to this."
"Have you found a way to get the Magic Beast out of the Familiar Space? I can't command it out since I have no contract with it," I said to Inari-sama.
"My servants already tried but the Magic Beast is quite stubborn. Even Yuri and Yuto are doing their best to let the beast out but it proves to be a real tough job!" Inari said.
"Master!~ Help us out here, please! This beast is hard to move! My arms are getting tired and my magic has run dry trying to even let this guy move out!" Yuri whined.
"I hate to admit this but I agree with my sister on this one, Master. This beast just refuses to move out of his position!"
What the hell did I get into? I rubbed my glabella while thinking about what to do with this beast. To encounter a situation like this is quite troublesome. Maybe I should ask Blue?
"I can't help you with that problem, Kazuma. My expertise involves magic, knowledge of it, weakness of demons, and some monsters, usage of magic, and history involving it. Magic Beasts are out of my expertise so don't expect me to help because I can't. Ask someone more expert on it."
An expert in terms of the Magic Beasts? Aside from Catmod who is a literal cat, no other guys I know currently knows much on Magic Beasts. Since it was too rare, it is not just something that can be solved.
"Is it doing anything?" I asked Inari-sama.
"Not at the moment. Looks like it is sleeping quietly and whatever we do, it won't budge and won't open its eyes. He is still alive so I think this guy here is a heavy sleeper."
"Alright. Since we have no idea how to get that white tiger out of my Familiar Space, just look at it for now. I'm going to check for someone who knows how to deal with Magic Beasts. Just don't let it go on a rampage."
"As you wish, Master!" everyone inside my Familiar Space said.
My first destination after arriving from the mission is Anya. Opening the door, I saw Maple taking care of Anya who is still unconscious.
"Ah, Kazuma. You are back, how is the mission?" Maple asked as she put down the wet cloth soaked in water after using it to wipe Anya.
"The operation is a success, though the main culprit of the trouble managed to escape so it is not a flawless mission."
"Well, that is good. I thought you will be doing the mission for a few days. To think you will just finish it in one day?"
"There was no helping it. The mission involves slavery and abuse so I have to immediately stop them. Anyways, enough of the mission, I want to ask how is Anya right now?" looking at Anya, she seemed to lack energy in her body. Is that why her presence is too low because she transferred it to me?
"She is out of harm, Kazuma. But she still won't be able to awaken as long as the medicine for her is safely acquired. But Anya is no longer knocking on heaven's door so you don't have to worry too much about her."
That thing they keep on mentioning as something that can help Anya must be so valuable for magicians to immediately secure one thing out.
"It will take a few more days before the auction begins. However, you still have the mission right? It also involves the Crazed Phenomenon Disorder."
"Yes. They said you already filed a quest but the quest where I requested for you last time is still viable. I am planning to depart tomorrow so that I can cover more ground on the investigation. If you wanted to come with me to cover more grounds, it will certainly help a lot."
"I will. I already agreed with you before so why wouldn't help? Things might already be so bad if this mission is also issued by the higher-ups alongside the recapture of the Underground Mall. Anya's cure is still not available so might as well investigate what is going on."
"So it comes to this already huh? I don't know why this illness has appeared after so many years of being buried."
"There must be someone who is causing this right? If a sickness that usually comes is something the scientists have discovered, then someone else might be causing this one perhaps?"
"There is no definitive answer to that. The Crazed Phenomenon Disorder is something of an enigma to us. The severity and bizarreness of the disease are just too uncommon."
We chatted a little bit with Maple a little bit until I felt hungry so I said goodbye and went back to the real world and go to the kitchen to cook some food, I still didn't get my lunch. While on the way, the Crazed Phenomenon Disorder is bothering me a lot. I don't know why but this disease seems to be a lot more serious than I thought it would be. If the mission to investigate this is similar to how I investigated the Riot Massacre and their takeover of the Underground Mall, then it is severe enough for the higher-ups to deploy magicians to investigate it. Due to my involvement in many different big cases lately, it is not a wonder that I am included to investigate it.
"Blue, can you tell me some tidbits of info about this Crazed Phenomenon Disorder? If you are ancient enough, you must have some sort of info regarding it right?"
"Indeed I have. It is a history involving the magicians after all. However, I have incomplete data about it due to the lack of real information regarding it. Just like what that Maple girl said, the Crazed Phenomenon Disorder is some sort of disease that causes their mana to go berserk. Although they appear crazed, it was due to the disturbance of the mana flow in the body. It is either being disrupted by something or it is purposely done by someone else. That is the only thing I know and it is just some theories I heard but this theory is the closest thing I can agree with than a sickness caused by some sort of curse or virus."
"Huh? The information seems different than what I have heard from Maple?"
"Of course. Her info is also one of those theories but I don't think her theory is close to the truth according to what the info and clues gathered about this disease."
"This is getting confusing. So everything I just learned is all theories? Not concrete proof that can explain that disorder?"
"Yes. As I said earlier, this has only some sort of theory due to how bizarre this case is. If you want to crack up the origin, reason, and symptoms of this disease then you should investigate it properly tomorrow. It's not like I am a great encyclopedia that knows anything. I am not some sort of deity that knows everything so spares me the angry talk alright?"
"Right, sorry about that."
"Good. Still, if you want to investigate this disease, you should be careful. According to the history of magicians, almost all of the magicians who investigated the disease either got crazy and disappeared somewhere."
"I heard of that before from Maple. So it is true. Did they go and kill other people?"
"The rampage didn't go that far but the victims are close to death's door when rescued so it is possible that the rampaging person who acquired the disease to kill someone."
"So even a single person, there is no magician who managed to survived the investigation?"
"...Actually, there is one. She has survived the ordeal indeed and has managed to bring the most information that allowed us to form the theory of the disease. However, she is now blind and old. If you want to ask her about it, you should visit the Akihabara Other Realm. She is currently the chief in command to the establishment that deploys magician mercenaries to the whole world."